Customary Consequence
by Meibou
Summary: She always made him bento.  It had started when they were friends before middle school even, and had continued on to highschool.  And this was how it should have been since the very start.  SasuHina.  AU.  Oneshot.  For Yenni2110.


This one's dedicated to Yenni2110, because she's given me a lot of supportive reviews, and because it's her birthday. 8D Yaaaaaaaaaay.

**Customary Consequence**

Tradition: custom, a specific practice of long standing.

She always made him bento. It had started when they were friends before middle school even, and had continued on to highschool.

Until then.

_Her gait was slow and gentle. Her eyes were white, with lavender hues emphasized by the warm and earthy colors of her late fall attire. She was dressed in dark stonewash jeans, a tan jacket with white fur trimming the edges and zipped up all the way, and a russet scarf was wrapped around her neck; she wore gloves that matched her scarf, made of the same colored cotton that she had knitted before, to protect herself from the biting wind. But the cold nipped at her exposed skin, her pink and slightly numb face a testament to that._

_She was smiling subtly, the kind loving one that wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but the impression of the person was an amiable one. One black lacquered bento box, with three compartments and decorated with red, orange and gold maple leaves was in her hand, swinging to and fro as she walked. Her footsteps made crunching noises; the leaves hadn't been cleared from the side walk, and they covered the pavement in delicate brown skeletons. The stopped momentarily, glancing around the school grounds for a sign of the person she was looking for, but she continued on, passing other students who she rarely talked to but still knew their faces._

_Mid step, she caught sight of the person she sought, and turned her entire body to get another look to confirm it; she took a misstep and stumbled. Though she managed to catch herself, her sudden movement brought herself to the attention of the person sitting under the birch trees. She glanced up, her dark bangs shadowing her eyes slightly as she nervously examined the figure for some form of disappointment. The other only turned his head, redirecting his attention to the book in his hands. _

_But she had this… feeling that he had snorted while doing so. She smiled. He wasn't angry at all, just amused. She made her way over to him, at a pace only a little faster than before, stopping in front of him. She leaned over, placing the box next to his left elbow. Stepping to the side of him, she grinned._

_Body otherwise still, Sasuke glanced at the bento from the corner of his eyes, before glancing back at the book. He wasn't reading, because not many would be able to divert their attention from the situation at hand, just staring at the page. Ignoring her._

_Hinata blinked, expecting some form of acceptance if no act of gratitude. She leaned forward, tilting her head so she could glance at his face. There wasn't anything amiss, except for that stony, forced taciturn kind of expression. "Sasuke? What's wrong?_

_"Why?"_

_She wasn't enlightened, and continued to stare at him in a confused manner, but managed to give him his space by straightening slightly. Cold moods weren't uncommon around Sasuke, but he hadn't ignored her when she had given him his bento before. "What do you mean?" she spoke, her voice a little tremulous, a sign of her tentative approach to his question._

_"You keep on doing this. Why?" His tone was the complete opposite of hers. Harsh and biting, he took on an antagonist role as his question came out as a rough demand._

_She didn't speak for a moment. She didn't know what she could say, or what she should say. Hinata only said what she could think of saying-_

_"I'm sorry."_

_-and fled._

And for a year, a bento had always silently appeared in his locker. He had never taken a single bite though, always maneuvered around it to get to the books in his locker. But every day a new one stood fresh and ready to be eaten in the previous one's place. He knew because the smell of rotten or stale food never filled his locker once. He had seen her, of course, during classes and glimpses of her back during lunchtime. But not a word was said to her. The only time he heard her voice was when it managed to drift down the hallways, or when she was called on in class. That was it; contact was limited as much as possible.

He slowly walked down the corridors. It was empty; it was two periods after lunch, and there were some classes in session. He didn't have any right now though, his next one started in half an hour. So he was left with nothing much better than to wander the hallways, and as he turned the corner, he heard a small gasping shriek, and he fell back after someone crashing into him. He rubbed his face, growling; his forehead and cheek were stinging terribly right now.

He turned his head to see Hinata frantically scrambling to her feet. Her face was pale, and he couldn't tell whether it was natural or from the fear he clearly saw in her eyes. There were dark shadows under her eyes; in fact, they were on other places of her face and arms too…

He grabbed her arm quickly before she could make an escape, pulling himself up in the process. He stared into her eyes, frowning, while she returned the look, absolutely petrified.

"Hey, bitch!" Footsteps were now made themselves even more apparent as several girls stomped towards them in the hallway. The two of them could see the leader pick up the bento box Hinata had dropped. The group of girls froze, seeing Sasuke standing next to their target, but the speaker hadn't yet. "You-" her sleeve was tugged by one of her companions, and she finally saw him. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, utterly shocked, like a fish out of water.

"That's mine," Sasuke stated coldly after a few moments. He took several steps forward, snatching the bento away from the girl. She could only nod clumsily, and took a step back; suddenly, they were all shy around him, ashamed that another had witnessed their actions.

"Don't touch her." His other arm enveloped her, gripping her tightly by her shoulders. Hugging her to him tightly, he felt her relax against him, submit herself to his protection. Their steps were slow and careful, reveling in the simple pleasure of walking together.

This was how it should have been since the very start.

---

Another oneshot. Review please.

And I'll update delusional soon. I've got to finish the chapter, and I've been extremely busy at my summer program, and very sweaty because there's no AC; and by the way, randomxlurker generously accepted a beta position for me for that, so be happy.


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